


Traditions

by cat_77



Series: Flufftober 2018 [10]
Category: Shadowhunters (TV), The Shadowhunter Chronicles - All Media Types
Genre: Halloween, M/M, Samhain
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-11
Updated: 2018-10-11
Packaged: 2019-07-29 09:00:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 926
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16260959
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cat_77/pseuds/cat_77
Summary: “This is how you celebrate your top secret holiday?”





	Traditions

**Author's Note:**

> For the prompt of “holiday.”
> 
> * * *

“This is how you celebrate your top secret holiday?” Clary asked doubtfully.

“Hush now, I don’t make fun of your belief that a fat man in a red suit shoves himself down chimneys to create a gift giving divide between good and evil,” Magnus chided. He looked around at those gathered and scoffed, “Do you know how few homes even have a chimney in this day and age? And are you saying the homeless are unworthy of the mysterious benefactor’s gifts?”

Clary pouted and he had a brief worry that the girl still believed in such things before he remembered she had figured that out when she was six. No, wait, technically when she was eight because he had to take the memory of a rather ingenious ravener demon away while Jocelyn cleaned up the loft. Not that it mattered as she moved on to more important matters anyway.

Yet another little creature, this one slimy yet with fangs, tried to push itself up through the barrier and she rather easily sliced its head off. She took the piece of chalk and added a tally mark under her name before she grabbed another canapé to munch upon.

It was a tradition of his and it did line up with a holiday, though he rarely had so many guests attending. It was Samhain. Not the silly little mundane interpretation of Halloween, but the astrological occurrence when everything shifted and aligned to make the veils between the realms the thinnest. He had heard tales, of course, throughout the centuries, but it was not until he had been made the High Warlock that he had paid enough attention to realize the tales spoke the truth and that there might be something he could do about it. At the very least, it would stop some of the warlocks under his care from being falsely accused.

There were thin spots dotted around the earth where one could cross more easily. Some of the less scrupulous warlocks used this knowledge to summon beasts to do their bidding, only to have a more powerful demon usurp and occasionally take the summoner out of the picture entirely. He chose to fortify those weaknesses to prevent that very thing from happening, and laid down strict rules to prevent the idiots of his own kind from being hunted down when they were inevitably overwhelmed and overpowered. 

He listened while Alexander explained that there was usually an uptick in demonic activity this time of the year but how, in recent years, New York had not had the same sharp rise as other areas. There had been theories as to why, but this was the first time he had seen the true reason in practice. To accentuate his point, he fired an arrow off and took out something with wings.

Magnus had to admit that it was far more entertaining with his four guests than without. Usually it was just him, and occasionally Catarina or even Ragnor, to channel the energy into the barrier as well as take out any interlopers. Tonight was damn near relaxing in comparison to years past. All he had to do was concentrate on strengthening the shields while Alexander, Clary, Jace, and Isabelle picked off the opportunistic visitors.

They had each taken up a spot at an apex of the large pentagram sketched out on the basement floor. It shone brightly and would let off a little flame or five every once in a while, usually right before something on the other side would make its move. He was quite pleased they had figured out that little tell as it had sadly taken him far longer to do so but, to be fair, he was usually distracted by doing multiple things at once. He had summoned comfortable chairs for them a while back, where they rested and joked between bouts. The chalkboard to tally their kills came later as the competitive side of two certain parabatai came out. 

No one mentioned how Isabelle was actually in the lead, nor how Clary would have been second but she got distracted by the bacon wrapped quail eggs he had brought in when he himself was getting a little bit peckish about a half hour ago.

Above them, revelers partied like any other night at Pandemonium. If he happened to siphon off just a tiny bit of the energy they raised to fuel the wards well, they didn’t really notice because he did that on most nights anyway. It was just tonight that warding was focused on strengthening a barrier to prevent them all from being consumed by a greater demon or three versus the usual hide and protect he favored.

And so he channeled pure energy and the Shadowhunters slayed and in between they lounged and chatted and ate delicious little snacks. Later, when the earth turned enough for the barriers to begin strengthening themselves again and the club kicked out the last of the drunks, they would gorge themselves on a real meal and maybe fall asleep to a bad movie back at the loft. He was tempted to leave little plastic skulls stuffed with candy over the fireplace for them in the morning just to mess with them, but knew he was far more likely to present them with clean weaponry and thanks instead.

He torched a demon on his own for old times’ sake, and to make Jace have to get up and add his name to the board, and silently hoped that maybe, possibly, this would be a tradition that lasted.


End file.
